Elise sat nearby, settled gracefully on a sofa, a leather-bound book resting lightly in her lap. The soft rustle of pages filled the stillness as she read, her fingers gliding delicately over the edges of the parchment.

Her eyes flicked up occasionally, glancing at Aron and me to make sure we weren’t getting into trouble. Once, I caught her gaze lingering on me, her lips curving into a faint smile before she returned to her book.

Aron was stretched out on the floor a few feet away, his picture book clutched in both hands. His dark, slightly ruffled black hair fell across his forehead, and his bright green eyes sparkled with imagination. His pale skin seemed to glow in the soft library light as he waved the book dramatically, pretending a mage from the page was locked in an epic battle with a fire beast. "Take that!" he shouted as exaggerated spell clashes and roars filled the quiet room.

I glanced at him briefly, smiling at his enthusiasm, but my attention soon shifted back to the books. My fingers brushed over a row on the bottom shelf. The spines were lined with intricately designed gold letters, titles practically glowing in the light.

To Aron, the library was another place to play. To me, it was something more.

I tugged a heavy book free from its place, its unexpected weight making me nearly lose my grip. Dust swirled as I brushed the cover with my sleeve, tickling my nose and making me sneeze."

"Bless you!" Aron said, giggling. He waved his book like a shield. "Look! Mage is fighting a FIRE BEAST!"

"Mm," I hummed absentmindedly, sparing him only a quick smirk before turning back to the discovery in my hands.

The book was thick, its cover smooth and faintly worn from time. The Foundations of Bloodlines, Mana, and Souls.

I opened it with care, the pages letting out soft whumphs as I turned them. A familiar scent of aged parchment filled the air.

"All magic is born of the soul," I whispered softly, reading the first line aloud.

I didn't actually want to remember my past life, but every time I gained knowledge, I couldn't help but want to. The memories were like shadows I couldn’t escape, painful and unwanted. Yet the truths I’d learned, the little wisdom forged through hardship, clung to me anyway, shaping how I saw this world. I didn’t want to dwell on the past, but it refused to let me go.

This world, though, was different. Souls, magic, tiers of power. It was all so far removed from the unremarkable life I’d once lived. My past had been filled with barriers I couldn’t break through no matter how hard I tried. Poverty, loneliness, and bad health. My life had been a cycle of struggle and loss.

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But here's the thing I understood. To be given a second chance is not to erase failure, but to prove you've learned from it. Life does not promise fairness, only opportunities hidden within the unfairness.

In this new world there were magic systems, rules that could be learned. If this world had a structure, then it could be understood. And if it could be understood, it could be mastered.

The words in the book echoed in my mind: Dormant, Awakened, Resonant. A tier system. A hierarchy of souls. I clenched my hands around the pages.

What if my soul was weak? What if, just like before, I was already starting at the bottom?

Even as the thought passed through my mind, I pushed it aside. I had one crucial advantage in this life, my bloodline. A strong bloodline always guaranteed a strong soul. Whatever doubts I had about my soul’s tier, I wasn’t starting from zero. My family’s lineage was my foundation, giving me a potential that many would envy. Unlike my past life, where I had nothing, this time I had the chance to begin with something, something real.

Another detail caught my attention: Power Ranks. Unlike soul tiers, which defined innate potential, power ranks measured actual progress. Those who trained diligently could climb through ranks: Novice, Adept, Specialist, and Master. Each level represented tangible growth, a path anyone could theoretically walk with enough dedication.

But the final two ranks, Grandmaster and Apex, were shrouded in mystery. The text offered only vague references, as though even scholars dared not write of them openly. What secrets lay beyond the known ranks? What heights could truly be reached? The book mentioned rare cases of evolution, of souls ascending beyond their initial limits. Rare, yes, but not impossible. If there was even the slightest chance to rise higher, to become more, I would find out how.

I glanced toward Aron, who was now running his hands along the pictures in his book, his bright green eyes wide with wonder. His laughter and excitement filled the room, grounding me in the present. He didn’t feel the weight of this place like I did. To him, magic was just a fanciful story from the pages of his book. But to me, it was everything. My second chance at life was woven into this world of mana, bloodlines, and potential. I couldn’t waste it.

I turned back to the diagrams on the page in front of me. Mana flowed into the soul like rivers pouring into a vast reservoir. The strength of your soul determines everything, the book had said. My hand hovered over the page as the words replayed in my mind.

I didn’t know what kind of soul I had, but I would find out. And if it wasn’t enough, I would force it to be enough.

"Aliiiii!" Aron’s voice dragged me out of my thoughts. He waved his book in the air like a sword. "Look, look! This mage is fighting a DRAGON!"

I blinked, his excitement drawing a small smile from me. "Mhm," I murmured, closing the book on my lap, though my thoughts still lingered on the ideas I’d just read. Knowledge about bloodlines, soul tiers, and rare evolutions swirled in my mind, begging to be understood.

"Ali, are you even listening?" Aron huffed, crawling closer. His face scrunched as he poked my arm with his book. "Be the dragon!"

I laughed softly, pushing my heavy thoughts aside. "Okay," I said, sliding off the chair to sit beside him. "I’m moon dragon."

"Moon dragons are boring!" Aron immediately complained, roaring and tapping my shoulder with his book.

I grinned despite myself, letting his laughter pull me into his world. My voice came out soft and deliberately playful as I roared back at him. My movements were clumsy, but he didn’t seem to care. For now, it didn’t matter that my thoughts were heavy, or that my mind was still turning over the concepts I’d read.

Today, I was just a moon dragon, letting the pressure of my new life fade into the background.